Jets Trade Rumors: Sheldon Richardson Reportedly Available After 2017 NFL Draft

The New York Jets couldn't find a trade partner for Sheldon Richardson during the NFL draft, but the team is still looking to move the defensive tackle, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Mehta reported the Jets talked trade with Washington, among other teams, and that "the sticking point for serious suitors now is Richardson's fully guaranteed $8.1 million this season (on his fifth-year option)."

It's become one of the NFL's worst-kept secrets that Richardson is on the trade block. As Mehta noted, the Jets and Dallas Cowboys had talks about Richardson before last season's trade deadline, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the team was trying to move Richardson during the draft.

On Friday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com wrote "Richardson has been the subject of months of speculation. The Jets came close to dealing him before the trading deadline last November."

Richardson was the 2013 Defensive Rookie of the Year and a 2014 Pro Bowler, but he's fallen out of favor in New York after his level of play declined and two suspensions in that time cost him five games.

Meanwhile, Leonard Williams has established himself as one of the game's top young interior lineman, and the Jets made a huge financial commitment to Muhammad Wilkerson last year, signing him to a five-year, $86 million contract.

The Jets, however, don't appear to be in a hurry to trade Richardson if that means doing so for cents on the dollar. And general manager Mike Maccagnan was cagey when he addressed the defensive tackle's status.

"Sheldon's under contract," he said Saturday, per Mehta. "He's part of our organization going forward. And we'll see how things develop over time. But again, he's under contract. Going forward, that's where we are with Sheldon. ... There's a whole offseason ahead of us here. We'll see how it unfolds going forward."